GearsBlog

This has probably been written about before but have you tried Netflix for your anime fix? A while back I was thrilled that so much anime was coming out on DVD for sale. After stocking up on DVD’s I realized I couldn’t afford to keep buying them. Renting them seemed like a good idea but local rental stores’ selection was paltry at best. I turned to rental by mail and Netflix has proven to be a great solution.

Initially I tried Blockbuster and Netflix at the same time for 3 months. Netflix had better selection, faster delivery and their customer service wasn’t actively trying to annoy me (unlike Blockbuster’s customer service). The selection is incredible and I can watch my anime the way I like it – subtitled. For $15 a month you can have two rentals out at once. I just finished the first Patlabor OAV series and have now started Tekkaman Blade. If supplemented with BitTorrent (more on that later), Netflix can meet a mecha fan’s need for anime quite nicely. They don’t only carry newer anime. There is a large selection of older stuff as well.

PROS

1. Even in a remote, God-forsaken corner of the country like north Idaho there’s a Netflix center near enough to send and receive DVD’s in only one day.
2. Anime selection is great.
3. A selection of rental plans keeps things affordable and flexible.
4. The Watch Instantly service is no additional charge and lets you watch anime when you’re inbetween rentals.

CONS

1. Netflix is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
2. The Watch Instantly service has a smaller selection of anime than the mail service.
3. Watch Instantly is dubbed only with no subtitles or Japanese audio tracks available.

So if you haven’t already, give Netflix a try. I’m certainly enjoying it.

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